California Motorsports

[Howard Jones]

I dropped by California Motorsports California Motorsports - Porsche transaxles, gears, differentials, parts and service in Lake Havasu City about a week ago as I was in Southern California for a conference at Indian Wells near Palm Springs.

I had talked to Robert on the phone and he said to drop on by and he would "give me the grand tour". So we spend about a hour talking gearboxes and generally got to know each other and my proposed requirements for a gearbox. He went though the different Porsche gearboxes and their individual strengths and shortcomings and impressed me with his knowledge of these types of transaxles.

We went over the available gear ratios and he ran a couple of gear charts for me based on my proposed, engine, tire, and rpm range. In about a hour we had a draft build in hand and all my questions put aside. Then he introduced me to the owner Bobby Heart. Bobby and Robert took me back into the shop and went through several parts bins showing me the differences in gear, side covers, ring and pinions, and the like between each of the types of Porsche boxes. We had a look at the different types of sincros and why I would want one type over another. They took their time to open boxes to show me church types and generally give me the "grand tour". All in all I was there a couple of hours and never felt rushed. The shop isn't huge but it is fully stocked, full of work, and as clean as a first rate shop should be.

Bobby has been in the race-car building business for several decades and answered all of my questions without hesitation. The shop, personnel, and owner really impressed me with their devotion to Porsche gearboxes. They, as it turns our, supply quite a few Porsche "gearbox builders" their gearboxes which in turn are sold as rebuilt by "XXX".

Being on the Colorado river I had the feeling I had found the source of the Nile, or at least the source of performance modified Porsche gearboxes in the US.

Bobby pointed out at least one 50/52 headed towards a RCR car and he was quite knowledgeable about our love, GT40s. Our discussions about putting one of their transaxles into a RCR SL was a pleasant surprise, he knows more about them than I do.

If I go forward with my dream car, these guys are my gearbox supplier. So anyway, if you are in need of a Porsche gearbox give them a call.

California Motorsports
928-855-5755
2175 N Kiowa Blvd. Unit 108
Lake Havasu City
Arizona 86403

[Dave Lindemann]

Howard -

This is a very timely post - and very much appreciated! I just spoke with Robert by phone a few days ago regarding putting a G50 in a SLC. Like you, I was very impressed by his knowledge and willingness to give input and answer all of my questions. I'll be ordering a G50 from them shortly.

Thanks for affirming my initial impression of them.

Dave L

[Howard Jones]

I should have added that I have no interest in California Motorsports other than acknowledgeing my observations as noted above.

I supose that If I was in the market for a gearbox a few years from now I would give a larger measure of interest to the other new offering such as the new Quaife, Mendolia, and others. The thing about the Porsche's is they really have been proven over time and are currently running in some pretty heavy duty cars. They seam to work well if put together with the required skill and they are slightly easier on the budget. A thousand here and there and before you know it..... Well those of you who are trying to do these cars without breaking the bank know what I mean. You have to put the dollars to work the best way you can and still meet your design requirements.

[Ron Earp]

Hi Howard,

Thanks for the info on California Motorsports. I'll see if they wish to sponsor/advertise on the forum. We don't have a transaxle manufacturer interested in supporting the community and it sounds like they know of us already.

Best,
Ron